The Londoner

By By Aftab Maken With all the skepticism about the Gwadar Port becoming fully operational, the political will of the PPP government has made the strategic port handle 37 shipments of imported commodities and their disbursement to far-flung areas of the country. After satisfactory handling of recently imported shipments of wheat and fertiliser, the federal government entrusted the Gwadar Port with the task of handling more imported fertiliser, as the TCP has accepted bids for 255,000 tonnes for the Kharif season. The Gwadar port has handled 37 ships without any delay including one ship carrying 73,000 tonnes of Canadian wheat, Chief Secretary Balochistan, Nasir Mehmud Khosa told The News during an informal talk the other day on his visit to Islamabad. Khosa said that the cost of transportation would be further reduced after the completion of Gwadar-Rato Dero section. Read the full story here .

ISLAMABAD : Federal Minister for Industry & Production Manzoor Ahmed Watto o has said that a ten year tax holiday has been granted to Gwadar Port Authority and the export processing zone (EPZ) established there. Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, the minister said only fifty per cent of the products manufactured at the Gwadar EPZ and the industrial areas of Gwadar port authority could be exported. ‘They will have to sell the remaining fifty per cent products to the local consumers,’ Mr Wattoo said. The export processing zone at Gwader would have all the facilities which are available to other EPZs in the country he added. Mr Wattoo said that the plots for investors would be given in consultation with the government of Balochistan. He said that Gwadar is the port of the future and a gateway to trade with Central Asia. Read the full article here . HOME

QUETTA: The Balochistan government is likely to declare Gwadar as the winter capital of the province. 'A decision has been taken in principle and the plan is likely to be approved with the next provincial budget,’ sources told Dawn, adding that officials concerned were working on details of the proposal. ‘The decision will have a far-reaching impact on the economy of Balochistan, particularly of Makran,’ the sources said. Balochistan Assembly Speaker Mohammad Aslam Bhootani confirmed that the proposal was being actively considered. ‘If the government takes a final decision to make Gwadar the winter capital of the province, economic activities in the port city will get a big boost,’ he said. Read the full story here .

Essentially a fishing village, Gwadar is an Arabian Sea port in that province. The port was built by China. In Washington's dream scenario, Gwadar becomes the new Dubai of South Asia. This implies the success of TAPI. For its part, China badly needs Gwadar as a node for yet another long pipeline to be built to western China. And where would the gas flowing in that line come from? Iran, of course. Whoever "wins," if Gwadar really becomes part of the Liquid War, Pakistan will finally become a key transit corridor for either Iranian gas from the monster South Pars field heading for China, or a great deal of the Caspian gas from Turkmenistan heading Europe-wards. To make the scenario even more locally mouth-watering, Pakistan would then be a pivotal place for both NATO and the SCO (in which it is already an official "observer"). To read the full article please click here .

Umar Gul took a wicket first ball, Shahid Afridi took two in his first two balls, and Australia imploded bizarrely after a flying start from Shane Watson. From 42 for 0 in four overs Australia went to 73 for 5 and 108 all out, a target Pakistan chased down easily after an early wobble. Australia had fielded almost a second XI, and played like that. The first innings of the match was as frenetically eventful as the second was assured and sedate. Gul's 4-0-8-4 was just one run off the best-ever figures in Twenty20 internationals. Afridi followed his double-wicket maiden with another wicket and nine more runs in the next two overs, as the Australian batsmen kept playing for the non-existent spin. The collapse was just as spectacular as Watson's onslaught on Shoaib Akhtar and Sohail Tanvir. It was ironically a missed inside edge by Aleem Dar that started the slide. No less a bizarre innings would have been fit for a day when the match started one-and-a-half hours after the toss whi...

Kamran Akmal hit an aggressive century to overshadow Shane Watson's hundred as Pakistan beat Australia by seven wickets in the fifth and final match at Sheikh Zayed Stadium here on Sunday. The 27-year-old wicket-keeper batsman struck an unbeaten 116 and added a Pakistan record of 198 for the fourth wicket with Misbah-ul-Haq (76 not out) to help his team chase a challenging 251-run target with three overs to spare. Watson's 116 not-out was the cornerstone for Australia's 250-4 in 50 overs. Despite the defeat, Australia took the five-match series 3-2 after winning the second match by six wickets, the third by 27 runs and fourth by eight wickets. Pakistan won the first match by four wickets. Read the full story here .